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Summit Sails High at T200
Summit Steel, working for London-based show creators and producers Innovision, supplied three special customised SmarTmasts depicting the ‘sails’ of HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship vessel, for the Trafalgar Square 200 ‘The Spirit of Nelson’ show.
Summit also supplied six of their regular 10m SmarTmast 1s, deployed for lighting fixtures to be rigged around Trafalgar Square at this landmark event, the final of the bicentennial Trafalgar 200 programme.
The one-hour live show on behalf of the Royal Navy was the final event in this year’s Trafalgar 200 celebrations to recognise the 200-year anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. The show was also designed to recognise the contribution of the Royal Navy to maritime history generally and also highlight its relevance as a modern phenomenon.
Involving a large scale visual performance that combined, live action, special effects, a crew and cast of over 700, plus some of the leading technical production companies in the UK, the show was enjoyed live by 10,000 people.
The event was directed by Innovision’s Will Glendinning. Summit’s project manager Jon Bray worked closely on site with his team of eight riggers, production director Geoff Summerton and site manager Malcolm Birkett to optimise the tight 5-day production window. They worked 24 hour shifts throughout the rehearsal period, getting in on the Wednesday, ready for a Sunday show.
The three ‘Victory masts’ formed a focal point for the show. They were also the highest such structures that Summit has ever built, standing proud at over 14 metres.
The central structure held the main projection screen for the event as well as a large line array PA system. The screen measured 95 square metres and was shaped to represent the main sail of a square rigger ship. It had to be raised and lowered very quickly to reveal a Sea Cadet display team performing on a suspended net beneath.
To achieve the movement speed required, Summit used a pair of their Kinesys-controlled variable speed hoists, running at 21 metres/sec, complete with smooth stops and starts despite the high speed. The structure needed 10 tonnes of ballast to ensure it could safely be used in wind speeds of up to 50 MPH.
The two outer ‘Victory’ masts, based on a standard SmarTmast 2 design, held the main PA clusters and were each dressed with three sails. The base design and ballasts were modified to accommodate the additional surface area of the sails.
A major challenge was the working environment explains Jon Bray. The North Terrace of the Square remained open to the public throughout the rigging period as did the National Gallery entrances in between the main Summit structures. Much care was needed to prevent the public from throwing themselves under the wheels of forklifts, which they seemed very keen on doing!
Jon Bray comments: “It was always going to be a challenge, but with the support of the production team and good pre-planning, all went very smoothly in spite of some high winds.”
18th November 2005
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